Toasted Coconut Tahini Mounds "Eggs" (Vegan)

there are stands of flowers
in the wood

for no man to look upon

lit up in sunlight

heads drooped in the rain

wilting into earth

unseen

Head held down to avoid the cold rain as I walk through town, I side step the earth worms attempting escape from a wet, muddy end. They slide along the cement, slowly, blind, trying to sense the light that will lead them to higher ground. The daffodils bend in the chill, blooms sweeping into puddles. Hands in my pockets. Flexing my fingers to circulate the blood. I catch a glimpse of wild-crafted purple crocus hidden beneath a tangle of brown vines and fallen branches, last season's decaying leaves tilting in the wind along the edges of this patch.

The rain stops. I wipe my face with my hand. A male and female cardinal set in the tree I'm coming up to, red and brown. Somewhere they'll build a nest, lay eggs, and more cardinals will enter the world, yawping for food. The earthworms will become the next generation of cardinals, robins, sparrows. Flowers melt. Roots deepen. Seeds spread.

And that's where babies come from, kids. Energy bound to the body.

These clean-eating "Mounds Eggs" are a celebration. For the Spring Equinox, the rebirth we experience as the season changes, for Easter, and for the tiny human growing inside of Emily of The Pig and Quill. I'm hoping they'll act as a magic totem to bring Em peace and joy on the journey she's about to embark on: for both the birth itself and the life-long walk of motherhood. Check out all of the other posts going live today (3/30/15) to celebrate Em in a surprise virtual potluck!

Tahini + toasted coconut + maple + vanilla + chocolate. You really can't go wrong! Plus this is incidentally a kid friendly recipe (a grown up has to toast the coconut, of course). I think it would make a fun Easter craft and treat for the family table!

Toasted Coconut Tahini Mounds "Eggs" (Vegan)

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Renee Shuman (Will Frolic for Food)

Prep time: 45 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 16 servings

These coconut treats are so easy and wholesome you could whip them up any time for a dessert or even a snack! Who says chocolate is just for dessert?

Toast the coconut in a pan over medium heat, stirring relatively constantly and scraping the sides of the pan until the coconut begins to turn golden brown and fragrant.

Immediately remove from heat and pour the coconut into a large mixing bowl, scraping the sides of the pan to get all of the coconut out.

In a separate bowl, stir together the maple syrup and vanilla bean seed paste.

Add the maple syrup mixture to the coconut, along with the coconut oil (which will melt in the warm toasted coconut).

Stir in the tahini and a pinch of pink sea salt until everything is evenly mixed.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To form the mounds: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, scoop out rounded balls of the coconut mixture about the size of golf balls, pressing and rounding them firmly between your palms then shaping them into ovals for "eggs" (or simply shape them into rounds if you're not making "eggs"). Place each mound onto your parchment lined cookie sheet. Repeat until you've used up all of the coconut mix.

Freeze for at least 30 minutes, then remove and coat with the chocolate dip. I just did this with my fingers, dipping them in the pan of melted chocolate until they were fully coated, shaking the extra chocolate off, then placing them back on the cookie sheet.

Repeat until all of the mounds are coated in chocolate.

Top each mound with sprinkles and/or sesame seeds.

Pop them back into the freezer for at least another 15 minutes before serving.

They can be stored in a sealed container, frozen or refrigerated, for up to a week.

3.2.2925

Dark Chocolate Dip

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Renee Shuman (Will Frolic for Food)

Prep time: 8 mins

Total time: 8 mins

Serves: 1 cup

Chocolate dip? Yes please! This is the most versatile vegan chocolate dip. Pour it over ice cream for a chocolate "shell," dip creamy popsicles in it to go Magnum style, pour it over cakes, dip cookies in it... the list goes on and on!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 cup dark chocolate (70% or higher), chopped

Instructions

Melt the coconut oil over medium heat in a small sauce pot. As soon as it's melted, turn off the burner and remove from heat.

Add the chopped chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir together until creamy and well mixed.

Get dipping!

If you have extra, store in an air-tight glass container at room temperature until next use; then simply melt and dip again!